1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of power conversion and regulation and specifically to a power converter and system employing the converter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spacecraft and other apparatus requiring electrical power are commonly provided with direct current power supply systems. A battery, generator, solar array, or other power source provides power to one or more buses at voltages required by various loads. Typically, power is processed through a converter that converts voltage from the source to a desired voltage and may also regulate the voltage and isolate the load from the source. For example, spacecraft use power from a solar array to charge a battery through a regulating converter. Power from the battery is supplied to high and low voltage buses through separate converters processing all of the power to! the buses. Processing full power generates substantial losses, taxing cooling systems and requiring cooling to be sized for relatively high peak loads. The converters must be sized to handle the full power of the power supply system.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,480,789 to Binckley and U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,286 to Paulkovich show voltage regulators. U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,247 to Burmenko shows a regulated battery charging circuit. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,740,636 to Hogrefe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,063 to Callen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,159 to Ahrens, U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,010 to Callen show power systems associated with solar cells, particularly for spacecraft.